Windows Firewall Problem

[Michael]

I am unable to turn on my Windows Firewall. When I try to oepn it through
the Control Panel, I receive an error message stating "Windows cannot open
the Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing Service."

Any suggestions?

 

[W****n S***********g]

I am unable to turn on my Windows Firewall. When I try to oepn it through
the Control Panel, I receive an error message stating "Windows cannot open
the Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing Service."

Any suggestions?

Is the "service" on?

 

[Michael]

I don't beleive that the service is on. Is there a way that I can verify
whether the service is on or off?

 

[Olórin]

I don't beleive that the service is on. Is there a way that I can verify
whether the service is on or off?

Start > Run > type "services.msc", press Enter; that'll bring up a list of
your services. Scroll down to the "Windows Firewall/Internet Connection
Sharing (ICS)" service, look in the Status column. It'll either be "Started"
(ie running), or say nothing (ie not be running). (It could also conceivably
say "Stopping" or "Starting", in which case give it a couple of minutes,
then click on the Refresh toolbar button at the top; if no change, reboot.)

As well as their "Status", services can be set to different Startup Types
(disabled, manual or automatic). Use of the terms "on" and "off" for
services can be misleading; if a service is set to "Automatic" but has
stopped, is it "on" or "off"? It's better to stick to the standard terms.

 

[Michael]

Thank you Olorin, you're post was helpful. I followed your instructions and
found that the service was not running. It was set to Automatic. I
attempted to start the service manually using Right-click and Start. After
about two minutes, I received the following error message:

"Could not start the Windows Firewall/Internet Conncection Sharing (ICS)
service on Local Computer. Error 1068: The dependency sercie or group
failed to start."

Any suggestions on how I can repair this? Thank you.

 

[Olórin]

Thank you Olorin, you're post was helpful. I followed your instructions
and
found that the service was not running. It was set to Automatic. I
attempted to start the service manually using Right-click and Start.
After
about two minutes, I received the following error message:

"Could not start the Windows Firewall/Internet Conncection Sharing (ICS)
service on Local Computer. Error 1068: The dependency sercie or group
failed to start."

Any suggestions on how I can repair this? Thank you.

Michael -

Do you have a third-party software firewall already installed (perhaps as
part of a security suite)? If so, try uninstalling that first (or turning it
and all its services off).

In services.msc again, check your "Remote Procedure Call (RPC)" service is
running. If not, start it up and set its Startup Type to Automatic
(double-click on it and look in the General tab, then try the Windows
Firewall/ICS service again.

In Services, double-click on Windows Firewall/ICS and select the
Dependencies tab (these are the dependencies mentioned in the error message
you got). Expand the list of components, and ensure any services listed
there (as well as RPC) are also started and set to "Automatic" startup. Try
the Windows Firewall/ICS service again.

Try running the System File Checker: click on Start > Run > type "cmd" >
press Enter. In the "Command prompt" window that comes up, type

sfc /scannow

and press Enter (or for a brief description first, type "sfc /?"). Let it
run, and try the firewall again. It might pay to have your XP installation
CD on hand as it might ask you to insert it.

If still no joy, have a look in the Event Logs for any clues - Start > Run >
"eventvwr.msc", look through the various logs for any any entries from the
time you tried to start the firewall; there could be pointers there. (Output
from the sfc command, if it changed any files, will be in here, under the
System log.)

Let us know how it all goes!

 

[Michael]

Olorin: Thank you very much for the detailed advice. I tried all the steps
you suggested. I don't have a thrid party firewall, so that was not the
problem. I found that the RPC service was running and set on automatic. I
also checked for other dependencies and found only RPC and Event Log. Both
were running. Then I ran the System File Checker. I actually ran it twice
just to be sure. After the second run, I checked and the Windows
Firewall/ICS was still not running.

Then I noticed that although the RPC was running, another program called RPC
Locator was not. I turned on that service and set it to automatic. I turned
off the computer for about five minutes and then started up again. Voila!
The Windows Firewall was running!

Interestingly enough though, the RPC Locator service had changed itself back
to Manual. Is this normal? Should I just leave it that way since the
Firewall seems to be working at this point?

Thanks very much for your help

 

[Olórin]

You're welcome - glad you got it running, and thanks for posting back.

Yes, as everything's working I'd leave the RPC Locator service set to
manual.

All the best.

Olorin: Thank you very much for the detailed advice. I tried all the
steps
you suggested. I don't have a thrid party firewall, so that was not the
problem. I found that the RPC service was running and set on automatic.
I
also checked for other dependencies and found only RPC and Event Log.
Both
were running. Then I ran the System File Checker. I actually ran it
twice
just to be sure. After the second run, I checked and the Windows
Firewall/ICS was still not running.

Then I noticed that although the RPC was running, another program called
RPC
Locator was not. I turned on that service and set it to automatic. I
turned
off the computer for about five minutes and then started up again. Voila!
The Windows Firewall was running!

Interestingly enough though, the RPC Locator service had changed itself
back
to Manual. Is this normal? Should I just leave it that way since the
Firewall seems to be working at this point?

Thanks very much for your help

<snip>

 

[Bob]

I am having a firewall problem also. Each & every time that I turn my machine

 

[Unknown]

You picked up some malware.

I am having a firewall problem also. Each & every time that I turn my
machine
on I find my firewall turned OFF. I have the box"allow no exceptions"
checked
to no avail. Any ideas???

 

[jch]

This demonstrates the useleness of a software firewall.

 

[LVTravel]

This demonstrates the useleness of a software firewall.

No firewall (hardware or software) will prevent attacks when you click on
the wrong web site or download and install malware. A wise computer user
will always practice safe hex whether or not a firewall and antivirus
software is installed.

 

[jch]

No firewall (hardware or software) will prevent attacks when you
click on the wrong web site or download and install malware. A wise
computer user will always practice safe hex whether or not a firewall
and antivirus software is installed.

Exactly, "safe hex" and a NAT firewall along with a good AV program are all
one needs in a home network. Software firewalls constantly cause connection
issues (eg, "I can't connect to my new printer", etc) and use system
resources.

 

[ED]

I am having a firewall problem also. Each & every time that I turn my
machine
on I find my firewall turned OFF. I have the box"allow no exceptions"
checked
to no avail. Any ideas???

One likely reason:
If you are also running AVG it is designed to shut down another firewall.
You can confirm this info by visiting the AVG Forum.